After the Hallowed Dawn
by Just-Like-Ginny
Summary: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED BOTH BREAKING DAWN AND DEATHLY HALLOWS. A visitor comes to the new Cullen house to tell Renesmee that she has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, she will enter into yet another new world.
1. Prologue

"_Leaving?_" Jake shouted in surprise and disgust. "Why do we have to leave?"

Dad rolled his eyes. "_We_," he made a gesture between me, Mom, and himself, "need to leave because it's been long enough. I have looked like a high school junior for six years. People will start to suspect something." I looked back to the book in my hands as Mom glanced at me, pretending I was not eavesdropping.

Jake's shoulders fell as he sulked into the corner of the room. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded pained. "Nobody noticed a little girl growing more than three times faster than normal kids. I doubt they'd notice a boy that looks the same."

Dad stood sternly, like he always did while trying to overpower Jake in an argument. "We can't take that chance." After a moment, he sighed and released his stern stance. "How is your clan planning to hide their agelessness?"

Jake shrugged. "Sam and Paul have already started aging again. They haven't phased in a year. The rest actually still look older than they are, but I guess they'll start once they catch up. Quil's going to wait for Clair to catch up to him, but—" he sighed, painfully. "I guess it is time to go. I just hate to leave my clan."

"You're not coming!" Mom shouted, suddenly. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. She was always getting worked up about this stuff. She was still mad at Jake for imprinting on me. It's not like he made the choice. After she composed herself a bit, she added, "You have to stay with your clan, of course. Do you really want to leave the clan to Leah?"

"He can order them to return to Sam's old clan," Dad said. He must have heard it in Jake's thoughts. He had told me before that he was thinking about doing that, anyway. He still didn't think he deserved to be the alpha.

"I can talk for myself," Jake snapped. "Besides, Leah can handle it if it comes to that."

"She still has a choice, you know." Mom always reminded me about this—that it was not definite. I could choose another path if I wanted to. "Maybe she doesn't even want you to come with us."

I had enough at this point. I slammed my book to the ground to get everybody's attention, but had to speak calmly, as if unaffected by the conversation. "Of _course_ I want Jake to come, Mom, and so do you."

Mom looked shocked, but looked down at her feet after a moment. Jake wore a half smile, content with my answer. Dad looked at Jake sourly, and I wondered what Jake could be thinking about that would make him look at him like that. But when Dad heard the question in my thoughts, he just sighed. "She's right, Bella. You've always said Jake was a part of your family. He should come."

"Yeah, Bells," Jake smirked. He had already won and he knew it. "Nessie wants me to come."

"_Renesmee_," Mom snarled at him.

Jake ignored her. "'sides, once upon a time, you actually enjoyed my company, too."

Mom sighed. "I still do, at times. I love that everything worked out the way it did—that I can have you and Edward, and even Charlie all at once. I just-- I made a choice. My daughter should be able to, too."

I did not understand why she felt like Jake's imprint was the worst thing that could have happened to me. I had somebody who was destined to do everything he could to keep me safe and happy at all times. "I'm choosing, Mom. We're _all_ choosing."

"She's not tied down to anything, Bella. Jake's the only one who doesn't have a choice here." It was very rare that Dad would choose a side other than Mom's. It usually meant that he understood something that could only be explained within somebody's head. So Mom usually backed down pretty quickly once he did.

"Then pack quickly," Mom urged, giving in at last. "We leave in a week."

Jake ran and picked her up into a bear hug a foot above the ground and nodded to Dad before picking me up and twisting me high into the air, my legs flying wildly. "So where are we headed?" He asked after finally placing me back onto the grey carpet.

"London," Dad replied. He was behind Mom now, holding her around the waist. "The fog will let us roam around the city during the days."


	2. A Birthday Wish

"Happy Birthday dear Renesmee—happy birthday to you!" They finished singing in unison and cheered as they waited for me to blow out my candles. My third birthday was finally here, which meant I got a whole new wardrobe. I had grown out of almost everything two months ago and Dad wouldn't let Aunt Alice buy me anything until my birthday, even though I had grown two inches since then. She tried to sneak me a couple outfits two weeks ago but Dad stopped her the moment she thought about a good time to give them to me.

I closed my eyes and made my normal wish before blowing out my candles. Every shooting star, every birthday (though I had only had three now), and every eyelash, I always wished for the same thing: friends. I loved my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and Jake, of course, but it was not the same. Jake was the closest I had to a friend, but he was here long before me, too.

Jake was the only one that had friends, though Dad sometimes mentioned people named Jessica, Angela, Ben, Mike, Tyler, and Eric to Mom, but she hardly remembered them. My family seemed happy with no friends besides each other, so it could not be terrible. Still, I wanted some friends of my own.

Of course, I knew this wish was no more likely to come true today than any other day. Nobody would want to be friends with a girl growing over three times as quickly as the other kids. "It's like leap year," I had heard Mom say to Dad earlier today. But the kids born on February 29th did not grow at a different rate than everyone else; they simply couldn't celebrate their actual birthday every year.

As soon as I finished my cake, Jake was at my side. "I'll race you to the playground."

"You know that's no fair!" I whined, but still lowered myself from the kitchen chair.

"You inherited your father's speed," he shrugged. "It's not my fault werewolves are just faster than vam—" before he could finish, I started running, hoping my head start would help me win. I was wrong. Jake was halfway up the slide by the time I reached the back door of the house.

"No fair," I sobbed, sitting on the swing, "you cheated."

"_I_ cheated?" he laughed, sliding down the slide and landing right beside me. "You're the one who took off with no warning, while I was barely paying attention." He was behind me now, starting to push my swing.

"That's because you're faster than me!" I pumped my legs to match Jake's motion, not that he needed the help. It probably just made him be more careful. "But you weren't supposed to catch up."

"Sorry," he laughed again, "next time I'll let you win."

"You're not supposed to tell me that!" I cried, but Jake only laughed harder.

The doorbell rang. We could hear it from the back of the house. I barely even knew we had a doorbell on this house, because it was never used. But today, somebody—a stranger—was at the door.

"Nessie!" Aunt Alice's voice called from inside the house. Jake grabbed my swing to halt my motion and I hopped off quickly, headed straight to the house, with Jake right behind me.

I found Aunt Alice in the kitchen. She seemed confused, trying to see something in the future, so I approached slowly. Uncle Jasper stood next to her, rubbing her shoulders for support.

"Is it a werewolf?" Uncle Jasper asked. Aunt Alice couldn't see werewolves. Whenever she couldn't see any of our futures, it usually meant we would be we Jake at some point. She often couldn't see mine.

"No. I can see her; she's just very fuzzy. I'm getting a headache."

"Another half-mortal?" Uncle Jasper glanced at me as he spoke. Apparently, she had trouble seeing me when Mom was pregnant. The headaches stopped after a few months, but I was still blurrier than vampires and humans.

"Maybe." Now I was curious. Was Nahuel back for another visit? He hadn't stopped by in a few months. But Alice would recognize his blur by now. And didn't she say it was a woman?

Mom finally came down the stairs and walked toward the door muttering, "I don't know why none of you can answer the door. Interrupting my birthday celebration with Edward…"

"It's for you, Bella," Aunt Alice laughed.

Dad walked down the stairs and into the room where the rest of us stood, obviously confused by what his sister was seeing. Mom opened the door and greeted the woman on the other side, as we all listened from the next room.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Yes." The woman sounded elderly but powerful. "My name is Minerva McGonagall. I would like to speak with you about your daughter: Renesmee Cullen?"

I could hear Mom gasp. Nobody knew about me. How did this woman know? "Please, come in." Dad made the face he makes when he's looking in somebody's mind for an answer, then walked into the room Mom was leading the woman into, telling my aunt and uncle to keep me in the other room. "This is my husband, Edward," Mom said when she saw him.

"Yes, both of us. How do you know?" What was Dad talking about? Why would he answer her thoughts? He was giving us away! I tried to look into the room to see the woman's expression, but Uncle Jasper held me back.

"Is Renesmee here? I would like to speak with her, too."

"Yes, she's here." Dad sounded worried. "But first tell me how you know that we are vampires." _What?_

"Very well," the woman began. "I am the headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We have been watching Renesmee and would like her to attend. Normally, we would simply send a letter to inform the family of the acceptance, but—"

"School of _what_?" Mom shrieked.

"But circumstances are a bit different than with any student we've ever had," she finished, barely noticing Mom's interruption. "Usually, we accept children when they are eleven. But since your daughter's aging is quite different than with most children, I thought now might be more appropriate. I was hoping to meet the girl before making my final decision."

"Let Renesmee come in," Dad said to the room I stood in.

"Edward, I don't think—" Mom objected, pleading.

"It's fine, Bella." He was confident. He must know more from the woman's mind.

Uncle Jasper let go of my shoulders and I took slow steps forward—the way Dad had taught me to walk in front of humans. Jake followed close behind me.

"Amazing." The woman grinned. "And you are only three years old?"

I nodded and grabbed my mother's hand as I approached. "I just turned three today. Would you like some cake?"

Her smile widened but she shook her head. "No, thank you." She studied me for a few moments, as I looked between her and the other three people in the room. "Do you think you would fit in better with eleven-year-olds now or when you are actually eleven?"

I looked up at my mother, silently asking if I should use my power to let this woman answer that question for herself. "I think that is a wonderful idea," Mom responded. I glanced at Dad, who nodded. So I held my other hand out to the woman. All three would be able to see what I was showing her.

The woman looked at my father, who smiled. "She wants you to decide that on your own." She then took my hand, very curious about what was happening.

I showed her the day Mom woke up as a vampire and I knew who she was. I showed her how I convinced all those vampires to join our fight against the Vulturi. I showed her the love I felt for my parents, Jake, and the rest of my family. I showed her my first birthday, when Mom explained why I could not play with other children regularly. I showed her the first time I caught a fox, and why I decided to set it free. I showed her the decision to move to London and how I helped decorate the house to resemble our old one. I let her hear that I understood my power, along with everyone's in my family. Finally, I replayed my overhearing of her conversation with my parents and asked her what, exactly the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft the Wizardry was.

"Amazing." She grinned again as I pulled away and looked up at her. "Her understanding is far beyond anyone of her age—even her visual age. At three, she has the appearance of a child of nearly ten, and the mind closer to sixteen." She had been staring at me, but talking to my parents. Now, she finally turned to look at my parents. "We would be happy to have her now, if you would—Dear me, I got overexcited." She must have just realized that she never really explained anything to us, though I'm sure Dad already understood.

"Like I said," she began, taking a seat on the couch behind her. My parents and I sat on the opposite sofa. Jake stood next to the couch. "I am the headmistress at the school. We accept all sorts of young witches, but we've never had a part-vampire before. They are so rare, as I'm sure you know, and they typically don't have enough magic in them. You were all originally muggles, right?"

"Muggles?" Mom questioned.

"It's what we call people the are not magical. The vampires with special powers usually have some magical blood in them, but it tends not to be strong enough during their muggle life to be accepted to the school. But since Renesmee—I assume you both have these special gifts?" Mom just nodded. "That would explain how her powers are stronger.

"Usually, we would send a teacher from the school to the muggle-born children to explain our world. But since I was not even sure if she should be accepted yet, I felt it best that I come to see you myself. Now, I need to get back to the school to prepare for the new year, but I can have somebody else come here tomorrow to help her buy her things. That is," she finally paused with concern, "assuming she will be attending come September?"

We all sat, shocked. Jake was the first to speak, outraged. "You can't just expect her to—"

"You see," Dad interrupted him. "Jake has a very interesting relationship with Renesmee. It would be very difficult for him to be that far from her for so long."

"Ah," the woman seemed thoughtful. "I sensed that in her memories of him. Arrangements have been made for students with certain—conditions before. We can probably work something out."

Jake seem satisfied, but this just seemed to annoy Mom. "At three years old, my daughter can leave her parents and can't bear to part from her boyfriend.

"Bella…"

"If you want her to wait until she's eleven—I just think she will fit in better when she appears a similar age. Of course, it is up to your family, in the end. She will be a year or so younger, anyway, but will pass the others by her second year."

"This is a chance for her to make friends," Dad whispered into Mom's ear, speaking too quickly for humans to hear. They were always forgetting that I had vampire hearing, too. It seemed to have worked, though, because Mom sighed and nodded her approval.

"But we can stay with her until she has to leave?"

"Of course. And I will be sending another teacher to meet you here tomorrow. Professor Longbottom should be good, and I'm sure his friend, Miss Granger, would be thrilled to meet you all. She's always wondered about vegetarian vampires…" her voice trailed off as it became more and more evident she was talking more to herself than to us. "Farewell, then." She stood and headed to the door. "I will see you soon, Renesmee."

Dad reached the door before her, making her do a double-take. She must not have been used to the speed vampires have. "It was very nice to meet you." He opened the door."

"My pleasure." And she was gone.

"A witch!" Aunt Alice appeared from the next room.

"That explains why she was blurry," Uncle Jasper responded. "We're going to have quite a bit to explain to the rest when they return from their hunt." Aunt Alice and Jake chuckled, but Mom and Dad just stared at the door, now closed tightly.


	3. So About Hogwarts

"He's coming!" Aunt Alice called, excitedly. She had been talking about nothing but the prospect of my being a witch for the past day. She was more excited than anyone.

"I can hear him," Dad responded, sourly. He had gradually grown less and less welcome to the idea of my leaving. Mom must have gotten to him or something.

Granddad was the first to the door and opened it before the wizard even reached the door. "Welcome!" he exclaimed. "Come in, please."

"Don't scare him, Carlisle." Dad said, though I doubted he completely objected to that idea. Then he turned to the man as he entered the how looking slightly nervous. "Hello."

The man gave Dad a warm smile. "I'm Professor Neville Longbottom. You must be Renesmee's father?" Dad nodded and the man held out his hand, "It's nice to meet you."

Mom stood next to Dad and took his hand into hers, while Dad just glanced at Professor Longbottom's hand, locking his fingers with Mom's instead of shaking his hand. Mom held out her other hand to the Professor, however, and Dad flinched but did not object as they shook. "I'm Bella and this is Edward. I'm sorry. My husband's a little nervous about touching humans." She gave Dad a dirty look, as if to scold him for giving a bad first impression. "He thinks the temperature of our skin would scare you."

"Oh, I understand," Professor Longbottom said sincerely, "a couple of my friends met a vampire when they were in school, though they thought he would not touch them because he was likely to attack. He wasn't a vegetarian."

"You've met a vampire before?" It was Carlisle to speak, interest spread across his face.

"Oh, not me. He was a guest at a party two of my friends attended in our sixth year at school. I hear he almost attacked a group of girls, but the teacher hosting the party held him off." He shrugged, but Dad was tensing like he always did when he thought somebody was not realizing how much danger vampires can be. "But Hermione took a great interest in the prospect that there might be vampires that choose not to hurt people. She should be meeting me here in a few minutes, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." I was surprised how relaxed Mom had grown since last night, unless she was faking for the Professor's benefit. "Please, come sit down." She gestured toward the living room and everybody started moving toward it.

Before anyone walked far, a silver otter flew through the window and landed next to Professor Longbottom. We all jumped, but this silver animal did not seem foreign to the Professor. He simply watched it, waiting. "Rose accidently made Hugo's training seat disappear," a woman's voice came from the otter. "The sitter's helping me clean him up. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Well," Professor Longbottom smiled as the otter disappeared next to him, "we might as well begin." He continued into the Living Room and sat. We must have all looked confused because he immediately began to explain. "That was a patronus—my friend, Hermione's. It works as protection or a type of communication, as you saw. It's much faster than sending an owl, but only great witches and wizards have truly mastered its—" He sighed. "But long before we get into all of that, let us start with the basics." He looked directly at me for the first time since his arrival. "Professor McGonagall already spoke to you?"

I nodded. "She said I was ready to go to school now, even though I'm only three." I glanced around the room. Dad had relaxed, so Professor Longbottom's intentions must be good. Mom, Carlisle, Esme, Aunt Alice, and Uncle Emmett were all smiling and welcoming. Uncle Jasper looked nervous and Aunt Rosalie looked ready to pounce if anything went wrong. Then I looked at Jake, who looked like he didn't know how to feel. "And she also said that Jake," I looked back to the Professor, "would be able to come with me."

He looked in the direction I had just turned from and found Jake. "Ah, yes. She mentioned something about that. I'm not exactly sure what she plans to do about him, but that's why she is the headmistress and I'm just a head of house."

"Head of house?"

He smiled down at me and Dad chucked. He glanced at Dad and proclaimed, "so you're the one that sees thoughts, then?" Dad gave a small nod and the Professor looked back down at me. "There are four houses in Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. I am the head of Gryffindor House. Students are sorted into their houses on their first day by the sorting hat."

"So," Dad seemed confused, "this talking hat randomly chooses where students should go?"

"Oh, it's not random at all. The hat looks into your mind to discover what traits you most greatly possess. Ravenclaws thrive on intelligence, Hufflepuffs on loyalty, Gryffindors on courage, and Slytherins on—"

"Pure-bloodedness?" A woman had appeared in the hallway. She stood straight and confident with curly brown hair and a blue robe. She wore a witty smile, like her addition to the conversation had been some sly insult.

"Determination," Professor Longbottom corrected, but smiled at her, nonetheless. "This is my friend, Hermione Granger," he gestured toward the woman, "who I'm sure has an explanation for apparating right into your Living Room."

The woman blushed at this and the laughter in her eyes transformed into apologetic fear. "Sorry about that. I was running late so I thought I'd just let myself in. I usually would have knocked, but I didn't want to interrupt." She glanced at Professor Longbottom and chuckled a little. "I guess that didn't work." She pulled a long, thin stick from beneath her robe and twisted it in a small oval shape in the air. A chair appeared beside her, and she quickly took a seat. "I won't say another thing until it is time."

"We don't hate you," Dad stated, responding to a fear in her head. "Well, I can't speak for everyone." He glanced at Aunt Rosalie, who still looked determined to strike. The woman—Hermione—blushed apologetically again, but her eyes filled with excitement as she realized that Dad had just read her mind.

"Anyway," Professor Longbottom continued is if uninterrupted, "what was I saying? Oh, of course!" He reached into his robe and pulled an envelope with bright green writing out of his pocket. "This is for you." He handed the letter to me.

"Thanks." I took the letter from his hand and stood between Mom and Jake, knowing Dad would read it through Jake and me.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, International Confed. of Witches,  
International Animagus Awareness Committee)

Dear Miss Cullen,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.  
Yours sincerely,  
Filius Flitwick

Filius Flitwick,  
Deputy Headmaster

"Owl?" It was Jake that asked it, but I think we were all wondering. I looked at Professor Longbottom, anxious for an answer.

He did not seem surprised by this question. He almost seemed to be expecting it. "We send letters by owls. We don't use telephones or a post office. You normally would have received yours by owl, but since circumstances are a bit different than normal…" he trailed off and my head wondered. I wasn't used to outside communication of any sort, but by owl.

"But I thought," Dad began, obviously still confused, "you said the pultroni was how you—"

"The patronus is a means of communication, as well. But as it is a very difficult spell to perform, it is used by few and usually only in emergencies. It's also a new idea." He paused, looking slightly flustered. "I'm not even sure how it started…"

And the woman in the corner was practically leaping out of her seat with anxiety. Professor Longbottom simply smiled and nodded at her to let her speak. I glanced at Dad, and instantly knew I was not going to understand whatever it was she was about to say. "Professor Dumbledore invented it during the second war, for the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Patronuses can't be tracked or captured by dark magic, so—" She paused, glancing at the blank faces in the room. "Of course, you'll learn all about patronuses and the war in school. Weird that it's already in the curriculum. It was just thirteen years ago. Seems like yesterday…" She was talking more to herself than anyone now, but Professor Longbottom was nodding in agreement. They were clearly thinking more than either was saying, because Dad seemed shocked by some of the images in their heads. It gets pretty annoying sometimes—Dad always knowing more about everything than anyone else.

Whatever they were thinking about, Dad didn't ask. Soon, Professor Longbottom was standing in front of us. "If that's all, Hermione and I would like to accompany you to Diagon alley to buy your school supplies." He glanced around the room. "Anyone who wants to come is welcome, of course."

The whole family stood after him, but Aunt Alice immediately headed up the stairs. Uncle Jasper sighed and followed her. She must have still been getting headaches. As the woman in the corner moved to Professor Longbottom's side, the pair started walking toward the door. I followed, followed closely by Mom, Dad, Jake, and Aunt Rosalie. Carlisle and Esme stood still, and Uncle Emmet looked like he was not sure what exactly to do.

"Rose," Dad said, turning abruptly towards her, "are you sure you should be coming with us?"

Aunt Rosalie looked like she was about to retort, but Jake spoke first, with a chuckle. "'Course not. Blondie'll jump on anyone who comes within ten feet of poor Nessie."

"Please," Aunt Rosalie was practically screaming at him, "like you won't phase the moment some wizard boy glances her way."

Jake's eyes narrowed. "You'll just never understand imprinting."

Aunt Rosalie was about to respond, but was interrupted again, this time by Dad. "Maybe it's best if you both stay behind."

Jake just rolled his eyes, but I thought I heard a faint growl come from him. "I'm the one who's going to be living with these people."

"Exactly," Mom responded painfully, "you'll be with Renesmee while she's at school. Let us have our time with our daughter."

"I need to know who I'm going to be living with."

"If the dog's coming, I'm coming."

"Please, Jake," Mom pleaded. "They're normal people, just with powers." She glanced at Professor Longbottom and his friend for support and the woman nodded in agreement. "You'll have plenty of time with her. Let us have ours."

Jake grudgingly sighed and stormed up the stairs in concession. Aunt Rosalie gave a triumphant laugh and proceeded closer to the door. "Rosalie," Carlisle spoke and she stopped, "I think it's best that you stay here." Aunt Rosalie's eyes narrowed but she did not turn to look at Carlisle. Instead, she just stood still, evening her weight between her feet. Uncle Emmett walked toward her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She was staying.


	4. Beyond The Wall

A/N: This chapter ends a bit abruptly. I realized that this scene was getting ridiculously long so I split it up. I'm actually still working on the next chapter, which is part of the same scene. Who knows? Maybe it will end up being 3 or 4 chapters. But anyway, the next chapter will pick up right from where this one leaves off.

* * *

"But how do the special abilities work?" The woman—Hermione—had been asking questions throughout the journey. We now stepped into a small pub called The Leaky Cauldron, which did not look like a very inviting place to be. Most of the customers were wearing robes and the barman looked up hopefully as we strolled in.

"Nobody really knows," Mom responded, politely. "We think the venom amplifies whatever abilities we had before the bite. I was already immune to the mind-related powers, and Edward must have been very talented at reading people. Alice was already in an institution for her ability to see the future before she was bitten."

"Maybe if Professor Trelawney had been bitten, she would have been a proper teacher," Hermione muttered to her friend.

Professor Longbottom looked like he was fighting the urge to laugh. "You do realize you're talking about my colleague?"

"_Former_ colleague," Hermione reminded him with a grin, "and they haven't found another divination teacher since Firenze was allowed back into the forest."

"I'm not sure Minerva looked very hard."

"Well I'm glad. Now my kids won't be taking—"

"Your kids," Professor Longbottom interrupted, "won't be attending school for several more years." He looked down at me with his normal friendly smile. "Now," we had made our way through the pub into a small opening in the back with a trashcan and a large brick wall. Professor Longbottom stared at the wall for a moment as if counting bricks. He removed a long stick, like Hermione had used earlier, and tapped three times on a brick. A small hole appeared in the wall, which proceeded to grow into a large archway into a crowded marketplace. Professor smiled at me as he continued, "let's have a look at your supply list."

I reached into the envelope he had given me earlier and pulled out the second piece of paper, which was the list of everything I needed for my first year of school. I read out loud:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
_ of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_  
by Miranda Goshawk  
_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot  
(Second War additions by Justin Finch-Fletchley)  
_ Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling  
_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch  
_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _  
by Phyllida Spore  
_ Starter's Potions_ by Rowanda Calley  
_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Second Edition)_  
By Newt Scamander  
_Methods of Defense Against Dark Magic_ by Gladimore Worwak

OTHER EQUIPMENT  
1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales  
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED  
THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

By now, we were standing in front of a large building Professor Longbottom had led us to. He stared up at it and smiled. "Gringotts Bank. Only twice have people broken into a vault. Only once was anything ever taken." He glanced at Hermione as he finished. She wore a blush and a small smile.

"There's different money?" Dad questioned, slight nerves in his voice. "We have plenty of—" he trailed off, staring up at the large building, "but no wizarding money."

"We can make an exchange," Hermione informed us, leading the way into the bank. Once inside, she strolled up to a blonde woman that could make Aunt Rosalie feels insecure.

The blond woman immediately motioned for her approaching coworker to stay away, stating, "Zis ees my seester-in-law. I will take care ov 'er."

"Busy day, Fleur?" Hermione asked, hugging the woman over the counter.

"Oh, yes. Ze children are starting school, so zer parents need money." She lowered her voice and added. "I 'ad to bring Victoire with me. She's in ze back with Bill. 'E wants to take 'er to Ollivander after work."

"She starts school this year!" she smiled. "I'd nearly forgotten." For a moment, Hermione looked like she was thinking hard about something. "She can come with us, if you want."

The blonde woman looked confused. "But Rose eez only—"

"Oh, no. I'm helping Neville with a first-year. Victoire can meet a future classmate." She glanced toward Professor Longbottom as she finished. He nodded in support of the idea.

"Oh, zat would be wonderful! I was afraid Victoire would leave only knowing Teddy." She took out a quill and wrote on a piece of paper, which proceeded to fold itself and fly away. I tore my eyes away from the scene in time to glance at Mom, who looked just as amazed as I felt. "Now," the woman put her attention back to her work, "'ow can I 'elp you?"

"We need to make an exchange."

Just then, a redheaded man ran out of a room, yelling after a strawberry blond-haired girl. "Be careful, Victoire! Don't run into anything!" Then he spotted Hermione and smiled brightly, which only emphasized the large scars on his face. He somehow reminded me of Jake's friend Emily. "There's my favorite sister-in-law!" The girl jumped into Hermione's arms as she reached her.

Hermione hugged the girl then looked over toward her father. "If Angelina heard you talking like that," she laughed, "she'd have your tongue locked in a box."

"Well, then, she better not find out." He kissed Hermione one the cheek and pulled his daughter from her arms and placed her on the ground.

"Victoire," Hermione looked to the girl as she spoke, but motioned towards me. "This is Renesmee Cullen. She will be attending Hogwarts with you this year." Then she looked my way. "Renesmee, I'd like you to meet my niece, Victoire Weasley."

The girl held out her hand and I made sure not to think anything about her or any of the people she knew as I shook it politely. My thoughts immediately transferred to Jake. Her eyes grew to an unnatural size as she stared at me. She must have seen him. "How did you _do_ that?" she asked.

"It's my power." I guess it's not even a normal power to have in this world. "My dad's a mind-reader and Mom's a human shield." I motioned to each of my parents as I explained. She still looked amazed. "Is that weird?"

"It's just," Professor Longbottom responded before the girl had a chance, "we have to build up skills to master those types of abilities. They don't come naturally to us." I nodded, still not quite understanding.

"Although," Hermione cut into the conversation, turning away from her sister-in-law with a bag full of wizarding money, "I'm working on a theory about that." Nobody responded, though Dad looked bewildered by what she was thinking. "I think these powers are a sign of magical blood. It's not enough in most people's human lives to get them accepted to Hogwarts, but once they are bitten, it exemplifies the small amount of blood into whatever the muggle had already had an aptitude for." She glanced down at me and smiled. "It would explain the mystery of the muggle-borns."

"So then," Dad began, "when two people with a little magical blood, like Bella and me, have a baby—"

"Her powers would be strong enough to get her to Hogwarts. Exactly."

"But what about wizards that are bitten?"

"Well," for the first time, Hermione looked unsure, "we take wands away immediately, so we don't know if vampires keep their powers. And we've never met a vegetarian, so we've never gotten close enough as to see if they have these special powers. But I'd assume theirs would be even stronger." She glanced at Mom and Dad, who looked slightly nervous. "Or they'd have multiple powers." Then she looked back to Neville, who seemed to be thinking hard about the subject. "Harry would probably be able to fly on his own. Voldemort would have been a minder-reader, no doubt."

"You're saying," the strawberry-blond girl spoke as we exited the bank and made our way down the street, "you're a _vampire_?" The question was directed toward me. The adults laughed at her realization.

"Half." I responded, plainly. "My dad didn't change my mom until right after I was born."

"So your parents—" she looked up at them with fear, and Dad had a slight sign of pain in his own eyes.

"Victoire," Hermione warned, "what have we always told you about judging any type of creature by their stereotype?"

"Never do it. If the stereotypes were all right, my best friend would be—Teddy!" With that, she took off running into a crowd of people.

"Well, he's always Teddy." Hermione laughed as the girl ran up to a blue-haired boy in the center of the crowd. "But I think she got the point." We followed the girl up to the boy and a shaggy-haired man with glasses. "Hi, Harry." They kissed on the cheek and Professor Longbottom shook hands with the man.

"Getting supplies, Ted?" Professor Longbottom asked the little boy.

His hair changed to a light brown as he looked up. "Yes, professor." How did he do that? Can they all do that?

"This," Hermione pushed me forward towards the other children, "is Renesmee Cullen. She will be starting Hogwarts this year."

"Muggle-born, then?" The new man asked, looking toward Professor Longbottom.

"She's a vampire!" Victoire stated.

The man looked at Hermione, who placed one hand on the girl's shoulder and the other on mine. "Half." She smiled at the man's surprised expression. "Renesmee, why don't you show Harry what we were discussing about how powers work?"

I glanced around—first at Hermione, to decide if she meant what I thought she meant, then to my parents to see if they thought this was a good idea. They nodded, and I held my hand out to the man. He glanced at Hermione, who nodded, then proceeded to take my hand as I replayed the conversation of Hermione's discoveries in my head.

He gave Hermione a small smile. "You're probably right." He laughed almost nervously. "You always are." He glanced back at me, thoughtfully.

"She can't hear your thoughts," Dad answered his silent question. Harry looked up at Dad for the first time, glanced at Mom, and focused back on Dad. "That's my power."

"Most of the vampires with these powers only have one," Hermione explained. "That's what makes Renesmee so unique to be attending Hogwarts." She looked at Dad, who was staring at the man. "And you'll have to excuse Harry. He's never quite taken to the art of Occlumency."

"It's not just that," Dad responded. "He seems to think I remind him of someone, but can't remember who."

But before anyone else could speak, a redheaded woman approached holding a little girl with identical hair to hers in her arms, with two boys—one with darker red hair and the other looking strikingly similar to Harry—walking on either side of her. "Sorry, Harry. One of George's pranks went awry and we had to chase Albus's nose all around the—oi!" She jumped as she noticed our group standing in front of her husband. "Sorry," her face turned pink with embarrassment. She directed her apology at Dad. "You look just like a boy that died when I was thirteen."

"Cedric!" Harry exclaimed, relieved just to realize who he couldn't remember before. "Of course. You'd think I'd remember the first person I watched die," he sighed. "The first one I can really remember, at least." The redheaded woman rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"The first?" I asked. "Have you seen a lot?"

"You'll learn all about Harry in school." Hermione explained.

"Don't remind me." Harry mumbled.

Hermione ignored him as Professor Longbottom spoke. "We'd better get going. We have a lot to do." He started walking down the street. "Shall we get books first so Teddy can join us?"

"Yeah!" Victoire exclaimed, pulling the boy behind her. His hair was blue again. They stormed into a store called Flourish and Blotts, where they stopped just inside the door.

"All right, you three," Professor Longbottom began, "why don't you catch up and get to know each other while we get your supplies?" I reached into my pocket again and handed him my letter. "If you would follow me," he was talking to Mom and Dad now, "I can answer any questions you might have." They disappeared into an isle of books the size of a small television.

"Teddy," Harry said, "Ginny's got Lily, but if you could watch James and Albus for me--?" The question faded.

"I'll help him, Uncle Harry!" Victoire squealed. And with a smile, Harry disappeared into the same isle with his wife and daughter. I watched them leave, then turned to Teddy and Victoire.

"Are you two related to _everyone_?"

* * *

Haha sorry about the Cedric thing. I felt it needed to be done ;-).


	5. Always Learning More

A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone. I haven't had the energy to write and I was hoping to wait to post this until I had a bit of the next chapter written, but I think I've waited long enough. Again, it ends in the middle of the scene, though there's a bit more of a chapter ending to this one than the last. Hope you like it! Sorry again for the wait.

* * *

"Are you two related to _everyone_?"

Victoire laughed but Teddy shook his head. "I'm not related to them. Not closely, at least." He glanced at the little boys now preoccupying each other a few feet away, playing some sort of game. "Harry's my godfather, but Gran and I spend all of our holidays with them. Might as well be family."

"Well technically," Victoire said, "most magical families are related in some way. But no, not really. Ginny and Ron—Hermione's husband," she added quickly, realizing I hadn't met him, "are my dad's youngest siblings. There are three more."

"There are six kids in my parents' family, too!" I exclaimed excitedly, before realizing that the circumstances surrounding my family were a bit different. "Except," I corrected, "nobody's actually related. We say Carlisle and Esme adopted everyone since they look too young to have teenage kids." I assumed I could tell them the truth since they already knew about the biggest secret of all.

"Your parents seem a little young to have you, too," Teddy pointed out, glancing in the direction my parents had disappeared earlier. "How old are you, anyway?" He looked between me and Victoire, who was a good six inches taller than me. "You don't look eleven."

"Umm," I hesitated, unsure of how to answer his question, "I actually had my third birthday yesterday." They both looked shocked, as I expected they would. "I age three times faster than most kids."

"But," Teddy seemed confused, "I thought vampires didn't age at all."

"They don't," I confirmed, "but half-mortals age really quickly, then stop once they reach adulthood. My friend Jake was the same way. He's a werewolf and he—"

"My dad was a werewolf!" Teddy interrupted excitedly, but then confusion spread across his face. "But he didn't age differently at all."

"Oh," I spoke apologetically, "that's because Jake's not actually a werewolf. He's a shape shifter. We just call him a werewolf because that's what everyone's used to saying."

"Shape shifter?" Victoire asked. "You mean like a metamorphmagus?"

"What's that?"

Without a word, Teddy's hair turned an orangey color and seemed to shrink into his head as his nose morphed into a triangular stub. The short orange hair grew all around his face and his ears were suddenly pointed and moved to the top of his head. Long strings grew from both sides of the new nose until his head was replaced with a large orange cat's sitting on a human body. A moment later, the hair got even shorter and turned white and the new nose and whiskers transformed into a yellow beak and a duck's head sat on the boy's body. "That's me," Teddy stated, plainly, "my mum was one, too."

"No, Jake's nothing like that. Shape shifters only have one animal they change into. Jake's clan changes into wolves, which is why we call them werewolves." I paused, recalling the conversation between my family and the Volturi over two years ago. "The main differences are the transformations have nothing to do with the moon, they run in packs, they keep their normal minds in both forms, and they can hear each others' thoughts when they're wolves."

"Wow" is all Teddy managed to say, which is more than I could say for Victoire.

"You'll meet Jake. He's coming with me to Hogwarts."

"He's a wizard?"

"No," this was another aspect that will be difficult to explain. "He—well—I'm kind of his soul mate, in a way?" They looked both lost and skeptical. "Shape shifters have a way of knowing as soon as they meet the person they're meant to be with. We call it 'imprinting'. Jake knew as soon as I was born, since he was there."

"That's the guy I saw when I touched you!" Victoire exclaimed. I nodded.

"So," Teddy began, giving up even trying to understand what I meant, "how is he coming with you?"

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "Professor McGonagall just said she could make arrangements."

"Maybe he'll stay in the shrieking shack!" Teddy seemed hopeful. "Harry says that's where my Dad stayed during the full moons."

I just shrugged, now wondering, myself, where Jake would be staying. But now that we were talking about school, there were plenty of questions I had that I hoped Teddy could answer, since he already started there. But I didn't even know where to begin. "Can you tell me about Hogwarts?"

Teddy glanced at Victoire then back to me. "What do you want to know?"

I racked my brain for the memories of what I was already told. There was something about a hat that divided the kids into four groups. And each one stood for something. Hermione didn't seem to like one of them and Professor Longbottom was in charge of another. What were they called? Teams? Halls? Oh, houses! "What house are you in?"

He smirked as if I had just complimented him. "Gryffindor, like my Dad."

"My Dad was in Gryffindor, too!" Victoire said, proudly. "And all of my aunts and uncles. My grandparents on my father's side, too."

"That's the house Professor Longbottom is in charge of, right?"

"Yeah," Teddy answered. I must have looked a little worried because he chuckled a little before adding, "but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are good, too. My mom was in Hufflepuff. And one of Harry's best friends was in Ravenclaw. He even named his daughter's middle name after her. All three houses usually get on really well together."

"What about the fourth?"

"You don't want to be in Slytherin," Victoire said, flatly. That was the one Hermione seemed to dislike, too.

"Slytherin doesn't have a good reputation," Teddy says after giving Victoire a slightly stern look. "But I don't think you'd have to worry about that. You're pretty much muggle-born. They are never put in Slytherin."

"Slytherin's for Death Eaters!" A small voice exclaimed. Harry's sons must have wandered over while Teddy was talking. The older of the two looked proud of himself for adding to the conversation.

The younger shook his head. "Severus Snape was in Slytherin! He saved Daddy's life!"

"He was a Death Eater first, stupid!" The older stated, rolling his eyes at his brother.

"Dad wouldn't name me after a Death Eater!" He tried to push his brother, but the dark-red haired boy barely moved.

"No fighting," Teddy warned with a scolding look at the boys.

"Err," I considered not asking the question. I didn't want to sound stupid. After all, the little boys knew far more than I did. Though, technically, I was younger than them, anyway, "what are Death Eaters?"

All four gaped at me for a moment before Teddy started laughing. "It must be weird to grow up with muggles and then come here." The others relaxed their shocked faces, too, remembering that my incomprehension was completely normal. "Death Eaters were what everyone called Voldemort's followers." And before I could ask, he answered my next question, too. "Voldemort was the darkest wizard of all time. He died thirteen years ago. Harry killed him." My jaw dropped immediately. "It's why he's famous." So that must have been what they were talking about when they said he was in the history books. That must have been the war Hermione mentioned, too.

I nodded, pretending to understand. But this memory brought up a whole new set of questions. "What classes are there at Hogwarts?"

Teddy looked thrown off for a moment, but quickly answered, "Well, in your first year, you take Defense Against the Dark Arts, Flying Class, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and Potions. Then in your third year, you get to drop Charms and Flying and pick electives." He straightened up in confidence as he added, "I'm taking Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures."

"Hagrid teaches that!" Victoire pointed out, looking up at her friend.

"And Neville teaches Herbology!" The older of the young boys added.

Teddy nodded down at the boy, "Yeah, but he's Professor Longbottom at school, James."

The little boy rolled his eyes. "Why are you taking _Muggle Studies_?"

"I'm named after my grandfather, James. He was muggle-born."

"But don't you know enough from Dad and Aunt Hermione?" It was the older boy's turn to roll his eyes now.

And like clockwork, the adults approached us from the isle they had disappeared through earlier. "Is everyone ready to go?" Professor Longbottom asked, glancing around between us. We just nodded and turned toward the door.

"Say goodbye to the boys, girls," Hermione said, "we're going to go get your wands." She paused and looked at Harry with a smile as Mom and Dad made their way to my side. "And I think Harry promised Teddy a broom this year."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You _had_ to remind him."

His wife laughed as the little girl in her arms squirmed to be put down. "Like he would ever forget. He's only mentioned it every time he's seen you since we took him to get his books for his first year." She gave in to the little girl, placing her on the ground. The little redhead immediately ran ahead to walk with her brothers in the front of the group.

Without another thought, the blue-haired boy made his way to his godfather's side, grabbed his hand and pulled him forward at an increasing pace, leaving the rest of the man's family paces behind, though the children were struggling to keep up. "How about the Nimbus 3000? No! The Firebolt Thunderspeed!" He rattled off excitedly, his voice growing fainter as he pulled Harry further and further ahead. "Bye, Victoire!" He called as an afterthought over his shoulder as the little girl gave up following them and returned to her mother. "I'll see you on the train! Nice to meet you, Renesmee! " And they were lost in the crowd.

"We should probably go after them," the redheaded woman told Hermione, lifting her daughter off the ground again. "We're still on for lunch tomorrow?"

"Of course," Hermione replied. They exchanged smiles and hugs and she moved on to Professor Longbottom.

"It was great to run into you, Neville." She hugged Professor Longbttom. "I'll see you next week?"

"Oh, yes. Hannah's really excited. Happy early birthday." She kissed his cheek and the little girl laughed as he tickled her neck.

"And it was really nice to meet you both," she added to Mom and Dad, shaking their hands. "We'll have to talk again soon. Imprinting sounds amazing." She looked down at me with a smile. "Hopefully I'll meet Jacob one day."

I smiled back. "That can be arranged." And the woman hurried off after the rest of her family.

"To Ollivander's, then," Professor Longbottom directed, heading deeper into the shops. We all followed close behind.

Dad let out a small chuckle. "They actually ride broomsticks." He was speaking more to himself than anyone in particular.

Hermione still answered, "Well, some of the legends about vampires are true, aren't they?"

"Very few. Some are just based on truth." He stated, probably thinking about how vampires are not supposed to be seen in the sunlight.

We stopped in front of a shop with sticks like the ones I had seen Hermione and Professor Longbottom use earlier. They must have been wands. I stepped toward the door with Professor Longbottom and Hermione, my parents just behind me. Hermione stopped and turned to look at Victoire, who was just standing still, staring at the store. Her face was paler than it had been and her eyes looked stuck open with a combination of shock, fear, and excitement. "Well," Hermione spoke to her, "aren't you coming?"

She stayed still for a moment, just gaping. "I—it's actually—I'm really getting my wand?!" This must have been a bigger deal than the rest of the trip. She seemed amazed by the idea of getting a wand—similar to how I felt about this whole world.

"Not if you just stand out here staring, you won't." Hermione motioned her forward and she obeyed, following us into the store slowly.

* * *

A/N: Okay so I realized as I was writing this chapter that my timing was off. I realize now that Bella and Renesmee's birthdays are in September, though I was thinking they were in early August. For the purposes of this fan fiction, their birthdays are a little over a month earlier than their actual canon birthdays. Sorry. It doesn't affect much.

And I just wanted to say that I think the James/Albus exchange about Slytherin and Snape is my favorite part of this chapter maybe even the story so far.


	6. Reality

I am soooooooo sorry for the delay! I was in such a major writer's block like halfway through this chapter and it lasted a couple months. And during that time, I returned to school, at which I don't have that much time to write. No more excuses. I'm really sorry. Here's the next chapter:

* * *

"Not if you just stand out here staring, you won't." Hermione motioned her forward and she obeyed, following us into the store slowly.

It was a small store with very little open space. Long narrow boxes were stacked everywhere, overcrowding the room. A small counter stretched across the space directly across from the wall. It was filled with cracks and scratches, matching the similar floor tiles, walls, and ceiling. Behind the counter were long shelves stacked with more long narrow boxes. The shelves seemed to go on forever—I couldn't see where they ended—with an infinite number of these boxes.

A silver-haired man appeared from around one of the shelves and smiled brightly when he spotted us. "Ah, Mr. Longbottom, a pleasure to see you again."

"My pleasure, as always," Professor Longbottom responded with a smile.

The old man smiled back before spotting Hermione. "And Ms. Granger, what a pleasant surprise."

She smiled back sincerely but corrected him, "It's Weasley, now." She paused, "Except professionally, of course."

"Ah, right." He stepped out from behind the shelf he appeared from and stood directly across from us behind the desk. "What can I do for you?"

"We need two wands," Professor Longbottom answered with a smirk and a nod to both Victoire and me.

"Oh, Ms. Weasley, is it?" The old man was watching Victoire now. He seemed to have tears in his eyes and a distant look as if he was reliving memories in his head. "Your parents were kind enough to take me in while I was at my worst." He glanced around the store. "Let's see what we can find for you."

As he walked away, a ball of measuring tape levitated from the desk and preceded to straighten itself out and measure Victoire's arm. Then it measured her hand, between her shoulders, around her head, between her eyes, from her nose to her finger, the ground to her wrist, and every other bit it could manage before the old man returned with a long, thin box. The tape measurer fell flat on the desk again, waiting for its next assignment.

The man pulled a white stick from the long box ad held it out to the blonde. She hesitated, just staring at the long white wood. "Mahogony and Unicorn Tail. Ten inches," the man stated as Victoire reached out to take the wand from him, "It's one of the first wands I made after leaving your mother's house."

Victoire gently took the wand from its maker and stared at it for a moment, seeming to be waiting for something to happen. By the time she looked back at the old man, he was already searching for a second wand to give her.

He returned with another long box and removed the brown stick from its box, ordering Victoire to, "drop it." Victoire obeyed, letting the white wand fall to the ground at her feet. Ollivander held the second want toward her, "Ivy and Phoenix Feather." But again, almost as soon as the girl touched the wood, the man was searching for another wand to try.

The wand pile was almost up to Victoire's knees and Ollivander had stopped explaining what each wand was when he finally returned, a bit more confident than he had been for the past ten minutes. "Willow and Dragon Heartstring," he explained, watching carefully as the girl took the wand from the box, "nine and a half inches."

The moment that Victoire held a full grip on the wand, silver sparks flew from its end and dissipated into nothing before they would have reached the ground. Ollivander's features widened into a victorious smile as Hermione and Professor Longbottom let out a sigh of relief. Even Dad looked happy, though Mom seemed just as lost as I felt.

But just as the happiness escalated for Victoire, it fell back to tense as the old man peered over to me, "All right, who's next, who's next?" He stared at me for the moment, slowly stepping closer. "A muggle-born, are you?"

Hermione cleared her throat, thankfully pulling the attention away from me. "She's actually quite special," she began, glancing at my father, who nodded his acceptance to whatever she was thinking. I guess she caught on quick. "Her parents are actually vampires—her mother was turned only after her birth, so she's half—"

"Interesting." In a moment, Ollivander was back to digging in the back of the store and the tape measurer was measuring every bit of me, now.

Victoire stood to the side, staring, mesmerized, at her new wand as Hermione and Professor Longbottom reached down to clean up the pile of wands that had failed Victoire. As Hermione moved toward the desk to place the wands, one fell from her pile and landed at my feet. Without thinking, just as Ollivander approached with a long black box, and before the tape measurer even stopped measuring, I picked up the wand from the ground. A long, silver twisted ribbon fell from the end of the wand and disappeared, just as Victoire's sparks had. I looked up at the man now standing before me, with a large smile on his face. "The wand chooses the wizard," he whispered as he placed the box in his hands on the desk with all of the other wands and took the wand from my loose grip. He held it out in front of him. "Hazel and Phoenix feather, ten inches," he stated, observing the wood. "Got him on a burning day. Even burnt the feather a bit as I left."

I just stared at the wooden stick in his grasp, not caring that I had no idea what a phoenix was or that there may be something wrong with the feather. This wand had chosen me. I really did have magical blood. It wasn't a mistake.

Until this point, this fear hadn't surfaced, even within my head. Of course I would have thought it was a mistake. Wouldn't anyone, having just discovered that magic even exists, think that something had to have gone wrong in the information? Wouldn't anyone think they had found the wrong person—picked the wrong name?

But none of that mattered now. This magical object—which only reacted to magical hands—chose me. This was real.

I glanced up at Dad, who seemed a little concerned as he studied me, though I think he understood what I was thinking. It wasn't that I didn't feel I deserved any of this—just that it seemed too—good? Amazing? Intense? Impossible? I didn't even know. Dad gave me a small smirk, telling me he understood.

"Well, if that's all," Professor Longbottom began after clearing his throat, "we better head to Madame Malkin's."

As we headed out the door, Mom voiced a concern I hadn't even thought about. "Renesmee grows out of clothes rather quickly," she stated as the door to Ollivander's closed tight behind us. "At times, she can't go more than a couple months in one size pant. What do we—"

"To an extent, we can enlarge her clothes with charms." Professor Longbottom responded in his calm tone. "And if necessary, we can send for new robes during the term." Mom nodded her approval as we turned a corner. I could see Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions ahead of us.

* * * * *

"but students are not permitted to take the trips to Hogsmeade until their third year," Professor Longbottom finished as the house came into view. "Ted is excited to start this year, I'd imagine."

"He tried to get the entire party to force Andremeda to sign the permission slip right there at Harry's birthday dinner," Hermione laughed.

"Will Jake be able to come with me when I go?" I asked.

"Well," the Professor began, looking unsure and unprepared for the question, "I am unclear about any of the arrangements with your friend. I'm sure Professor McGonagall will have it all figured out by the time you enter your third year—probably even by the time you arrive at Hogwarts this year." And under his breath, or maybe to Hermione, he added, "Getting more like Dumbledore every year, she is."

"It comes with the job, I'm sure," Hermione responded with a sad smile. It was clear that there was some sort of tragic history with this Dumbledore. Maybe it's something else I will learn about in my classes. There must have been some big events recently, for them to be so close to so many people that I would be learning about in class. And by the look on Dad's face, whatever they were thinking about now might have been one of the most shocking stories of all.

We stood in front of the door, now. "If I could come in for just one more moment," Professor Longbottom requested, "there are just a couple more things I would like to go over." With a simple nod from Dad, the door was open and we all filed into the house.

"Go bring your things upstairs," Mom ordered me, "quickly. Then come back down and join us in the living room."

And before Hermione could finish her question, "won't she need help?" I gathered my new school supplies into a pile three times my height and raced up the steps. I ran into my room and tossed everything blindly onto my bed and turned to run back downstairs.

"Nessie," I heard a muffled groan coming from under the pile I just threw, so I turned back toward my bed. From beneath the pile came a hand, followed by Jake's head. "What is all this?" he asked, pulling the rest of his body out from the mess. He slowly made his way off the clutter-filled bed and stood in front of me. "How'd it go?"

"These," I pointed the to chaos that was now my bed, "are my school supplies. And it was so cool! I got a wand, and met Victoire and her parents and Teddy and his godfather and family, who is also Hermione's extended family, and so is Victoire, and there was magic and brooms and goblins that worked at a bank, and did I mention I got a wand? My own wand! It chose me! It's hazel and phoenix—" I suddenly remembered the second part of the request Mom had asked of me. Professor Longbottom and Hermione were still down the stairs, waiting to go over a few last ideas with me. At the thought of reliving the past several hours, they had completely slipped my mind. "I need to go back downstairs. I can explain the rest later."

"Think I can come this time?" I knew the anger in his voice was not meant to be directed at me. He was still sour about being forced to stay here while Mom and Dad took me to buy my supplies. He seemed to sense that his tone annoyed me. He glanced down at his feet, "sorry."

Ignoring his apology, I responded, "I don't see why not," and headed back toward the staircase, Jake following close behind me now.

The rest of the household, except for Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper, who were listening in from the kitchen, was already crowded in the living room when Jake and I reached it.

"Well," Professor Longbottom began as I took my spot on the couch between my parents. Jake stood behind the couch directly behind me. Aunt Rosalie gave a small snarl as he took this spot next to her, Uncle Emmett on her other side, Carlisle and Esme on Jake's other side. "do you have any other questions before Hermione and I depart?"

Thousands of possible questions flooded into my mind. I wanted to know more about classes and houses and the people, the teachers, wands, brooms, spells, potions, enchantments. But none of these seemed important enough to bring up before school began. Just as I was about to tell him I had nothing important, one last thought entered my mind. It was another sudden fear I had not even considered until now. Suddenly, it was all I could think about. Dad seemed to tense and looks just as fearful and concerned as I felt as I looked up at him. He nodded, urging me to ask the question to which I was now so afraid to hear the answer. "Do you think," I paused to clear my throat—attempting to erase the fear from my voice, "will people be afraid of me?"

Hermione turned immediately to Professor Longbottom, worry etched all over her features. He, however, remained calm. He took a large breath before responding. "There are some witches and wizards," he spoke with a comforting voice, "that are less accepting that others. But, over time, you will be seen as no more different than anyone else. Whether that is a good thing, I will leave for you to decide."

Hermione added a quick, "Just make sure you quench your thirst away from school often enough that you don't feel tempted, and they will probably forget about it." I think she meant this more as a reminder not to feed at school than a comfort about the other kids. I nodded my understanding and the room was silent for a few moments.

"Well, if that is all," Professor Longbottom stood, Hermione following his gesture, "here is your train ticket, I'm sure you can figure out how to get to the platform. Please don't ask any muggles for assistance. You will only confuse them." He glanced above my head—probably at Jake, "we will be making alternate arrangements for Mr. Black to arrive on the grounds. I think it best that you are with peers on the journey." He headed to the door, only turning around once he held it open, "I will see you at school, Miss Cullen."

I smiled and nodded, "I'm looking forward to it." He walked out the door, leaving Hermione in the doorway, now.

"It was really a pleasure meeting you all." And she was gone. For a moment, it didn't seem real. Everything was back to normal-- as if my entire life hadn't just changed in a matter of hours. But it had. It _was_ real. I was a witch. And I was going to school, where I would meet people closer to my age. I could make friends. My wish was finally going to come true.


End file.
